As an independent insurance agency leader, the standards you enforce—or ignore—shape everything: culture, performance, accountability, and results.

In this episode of The Agent Leader Podcast, Brent Kelly challenges agency owners and leadership teams to confront a tough truth: what you tolerate is what you teach. From underperformance and missed commitments to leadership silence and inconsistent preparation, toleration quietly sets the ceiling for your agency’s success.

You’ll learn:

• Why “do not complain about what you tolerate” is a leadership principle every agency owner must embrace

• How tolerating average or poor performance impacts your best people and agency culture

• The real cost of avoiding hard conversations—and why short-term comfort creates long-term chaos

• Practical leadership shifts to address issues early, make standards visible, and separate people from behavior

If you want to build a best-version-possible agency—one with clarity, accountability, and high performance—this episode will challenge your thinking and raise your leadership standards.

To see if your agency is a fit for our programs, book a call at www.sitkins.com/bookacall

Why are so many insurance agencies constantly busy—but still frustrated with progress?

In this episode of the Agent Leader Podcast, Brent Kelly dives into one of the most critical (and misunderstood) drivers of agency success: true team alignment.

Drawing insights from high-performing agency leaders and real-world experience, Brent explains why alignment—not activity—is what separates good agencies from truly elite ones.

You’ll discover:

• Why busyness is not a badge of honor—and often a warning sign
• How misalignment shows up in meetings, priorities, and execution
• A simple leadership framework (Purpose, Process, Payoff) to create clarity
• Why shared language, visible standards, and consistency matter more than intensity
• How great leaders slow down to speed up—and help teams see what others don’t

If your agency feels busy but scattered, growing but strained, or active without clarity, this episode will help you identify where alignment is breaking down—and what to do about it.

To access free tools and resources from Sitkins Group, visit www.sitkins.com/podcast

To see if your agency is a fit for our programs, visit www.sitkins.com/bookacall

🎯 Ideal for: Independent insurance agency owners, leadership teams, and high-level insurance professionals committed to building a best-version-possible agency through intentional leadership.

What if your agency’s biggest growth constraint isn’t the market, staffing, or strategy—but leadership assumptions?

In this relaunch episode of the Agent Leader Podcast, Brent Kelly returns with a powerful message for independent insurance agency owners and leadership teams: growth without intentional leadership creates hidden ceilings. Brent breaks down one of the most common—and costly—traps agencies fall into as they scale: assuming leadership is “good enough” because results look fine.

This episode dives deep into:

• The Leadership Assumption Trap and why “pretty good results” often mask deeper issues

• How John Maxwell's Law of the Lid quietly limits agency growth at every revenue level

• Why adding people doesn’t fix broken standards, alignment, or clarity

• The difference between accidental growth vs. intentional growth

• How misalignment, lack of capacity focus, and unclear processes stall progress

• Why elite agencies obsess over standards, clarity, and leadership development

• The real role of an agency leader: growing people, not just revenue

Brent also challenges agency leaders to reflect on a critical question:
Is your agency growing on purpose—or by accident?

If growth feels harder than it should, this episode may reveal why.

Leadership isn’t about perfection—it’s about intention, clarity, and consistency. And the best leaders know their own leadership ability is often the ceiling holding the agency back.

If you're ready to get your agency to its Best Version Possible, learn more about our programs.

🎯 Ideal for: Independent insurance agency owners, executives, department leaders, and growth-focused professionals who want to raise standards, improve alignment, and build an elite agency—on purpose.

Are renewals enough to prove you’re winning with clients? In this episode, Brent Kelly reveals a simple 3-step process to define, document, and deliver on client expectations — the key to higher retention, stronger relationships, and more referrals. Learn how top agencies track success, why your top 5–20% of clients deserve more, and how a “promise report” can transform the way you measure results.

👉 Download the free white paper: sitkins.com/whitepaper

Are you an independent insurance agent or agency leader looking for a smarter way to grow your business, retain more profit, and better serve your clients? In this episode, host Brent Kelly sits down with Warren Cleveland, CEO of Captive Coalition, to uncover the untapped potential of captive insurance.

Warren shares his entrepreneurial journey from aviation to insurance innovation—and explains why captives are becoming essential tools for agents who want more control, transparency, and long-term client relationships. You'll learn how to overcome misconceptions, embrace failure as growth, and understand the real financial impact of captives on your agency’s future.

Highlights Include: 00:00 Introduction to Captives and Insurance Leadership04:12 Understanding Captives: What They Are and Why They Matter10:42 The Unique Approach of Captive Coalition19:39 Challenges and Misconceptions in the Captive Insurance Space25:02 Success Stories and Empowering Agents33:17 Advice for the Younger Self: Embracing Failure39:18 Final Thoughts and Resources for Agents

Whether you’ve never heard of captives or you’re ready to take the next step, this conversation will shift how you think about risk, revenue, and relevance in today’s insurance world.

To learn more about Warren Cleveland and Captive Coalition visit their site at https://www.captivecoalition.com/.

To learn more about our programs for growth-minded agencies visit www.sitkins.com.

Most insurance agency leaders focus on revenue, retention, and growth—but there’s one overlooked metric that could transform your agency’s future: Revenue Per Relationship.

In this episode, Brent Kelly breaks down why this powerful measurement matters more than ever and how it reveals the true value of your client connections. You’ll learn practical strategies to elevate client experiences, increase profitability, and create a culture of high performance and accountability.

If you're ready to break through growth plateaus, get more referrals, and lead your team with greater purpose and clarity, this episode is for you.

Discover:

• The #1 metric that drives long-term agency success

• How to deepen client relationships and grow without chasing more volume

• Why emotional intelligence is a business advantage

• How to shift from complacency to continuous improvement

Whether you’re an agency owner, sales leader, or producer, this episode will challenge the status quo—and equip you to grow smarter, not just bigger.

If you're ready to grow your agency, learn more about our programs at www.sitkins.com

Why not you? In this powerful solo episode, Brent Kelly challenges insurance agency leaders to confront the one thing holding them back: their mindset.

Drawing inspiration from the final chapter of Best Version Possible, Brent unpacks the core differences between good agencies and great ones. Discover the three areas where most agency leaders think too small—and how to break free from the self-limiting beliefs that keep your agency from growing.
02:00 – A Story from a Yacht and a Revelation
06:45 – Are You Thinking Too Small?
09:35 – Massive Action Beats Endless Planning
14:20 – Don’t Just Lead—Build Future Leaders

Whether you lead a small shop or a large, growing agency team, this is your reminder: You don’t need to be the smartest or most experienced—just bold enough to ask, “Why not me?”

If you're ready to stop playing small and start owning your potential, visit www.sitkins.com to learn about our programs, or order a copy of Best Version Possible.

What’s Holding Your Agency Back?

If you’re still managing people, profit, and performance the old way, you may be capping your agency’s potential without realizing it.

In the latest episode of The Agent Leader , Brent Kelly is joined by Roger Sitkins for an inspiring conversation about what it really takes to build a high-performance agency in today’s world.

🎧 Tune in to discover:

• The leadership mindset that drives organic growth

• How to gain freedom in your time, finances, and relationships

• What top-performing agencies do differently—and how to join them

• Real stories from the field that prove what’s possible with the right coaching and strategy

Whether you're a producer, agency leader, or aspiring rainmaker, this episode is packed with insights you can use right away.

To learn more about our programs and access free resources, visit www.sitkins.com/podcast